VOGONS


Are Voodoo graphics card THAT good ?

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Reply 40 of 183, by anthony

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Good example of cost effective design. I presume, this card has at least 50% less cost of production than v4 agp. And even more compare to v4 pci.

I bet this card is 4 layer. All stb vsa100 based cards are 6 layers and most v3 6 layers and all v2 6 layers. Moreover, just compare power system on vsa cards to any other card. Quality of stb pcbs is outstanding, assembling quality is astonishing, quality of components is superb.

What I want to say, use any possibility to grab any available 3dfx card, it’s piece of pure hardware art. Real high-end. I don’t mention q3d, it’s hw porno.

Reply 43 of 183, by Tetrium

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To me theres several things that make 3DFX cards stand out:
- It's an actual add-on card, unlike virtually all other graphics cards out there. So this is 1 thing that sets it apart.
- It's kinda legendary and the name "Voodoo" is a well chosen one. 3DFX is a known (though now dead) company.
- The Voodoo 3 hardly uses any AGP features, which make it a very good option for ss7 (which in itself is another quite popular platform to build a retro rig around).
- The PCI add-on cards can be used in much more modern rigs and virtually any other graphics card can be used alongside one, making it very flexible.
- Pretty good DOS performance also helps.
- And of course there's Glide, which is exclusive to 3DFX hardware (unless when using a wrapper for instance).

So It's actually a very useful item for retro computer hobbyists to have. Theres probably more reasons I could think of, but this is fine for now 😀

Of course there are some disadvantages, a noticeable one being the inability of almost all AGP 3DFX graphics cards to run in modern 8x AGP slots.

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Reply 44 of 183, by Srandista

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Tetrium wrote:

Of course there are some disadvantages, a noticeable one being the inability of almost all AGP 3DFX graphics cards to run in modern 8x AGP slots.

This is the reason, why I think, then even not very much loved Voodoo4 would be quite more desirable in the future (and why I bought one recently)...

Socket 775 - ASRock 4CoreDual-VSTA, Pentium E6500K, 4GB RAM, Radeon 9800XT, ESS Solo-1, Win 98/XP
Socket A - Chaintech CT-7AIA, AMD Athlon XP 2400+, 1GB RAM, Radeon 9600XT, ESS ES1869F, Win 98

Reply 45 of 183, by Radical Vision

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A collection will be only complete of 3Dfx cards if the collector have V1, V2, V3, V4, V5 and Voodoo Rush, Voodoo Velocity, Voodoo Banshee. I don`t count Rampage and Specter as they did not even lived, when 3Dfx bankrupt the Specter card was even still on the test debugging bench and was not ready.... But Voodoo 5 5500 is not the easy one to find, not to mention Voodoo 4 and specially Voodoo 6000...........................
I also don`t count the Quantum and Obsidian 3Dfx cards, as they are even more hard to find then a Voodoo 6000.
So many 3Dfx collections will be uncompleted.

Mah systems retro, old, newer (Radical stuff)
W3680 4.5/ GA-x58 UD7/ R9 280x
K7 2.6/ NF7-S/ HD3850
IBM x2 P3 933/ GA-6VXD7/ Voodoo V 5.5K
Cmq P2 450/ GA-BX2000/ V2 SLI
IBM PC365
Cmq DeskPRO 486/33
IBM PS/2 Model 56
SPS IntelleXT 8088

Reply 46 of 183, by blurks

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Radical Vision wrote:

A collection will be only complete of 3Dfx cards if the collector have V1, V2, V3, V4, V5 and Voodoo Rush, Voodoo Velocity, Voodoo Banshee. I don`t count Rampage and Specter as they did not even lived, when 3Dfx bankrupt the Specter card was even still on the test debugging bench and was not ready.... But Voodoo 5 5500 is not the easy one to find, not to mention Voodoo 4 and specially Voodoo 6000...........................
I also don`t count the Quantum and Obsidian 3Dfx cards, as they are even more hard to find then a Voodoo 6000.
So many 3Dfx collections will be uncompleted.

Captain Obvious in da house. Who would have thought that?

Reply 47 of 183, by dr.zeissler

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yes the are. my v3-3000 delivers incredible framerates even with high-resolutions on a "small" PII-233.
(blood2 the choosen, kingpin, quake2)

Retro-Gamer 😀 ...on different machines

Reply 48 of 183, by Radical Vision

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blurks wrote:

Captain Obvious in da house. Who would have thought that?

Seems you did not, as your reaction...

For example frog a collection can be completed in 3 damn different ways.

1 all ever created 3Dfx cards and chips that someone can get, they did have chips in some motherboards, in some other systems before even Voodoo 1 cards, specter card and such, total hard to get and Quantum/Obsidian..
2 having from one Voodoo gen for example of Voodoo 3 only 3000 or 2000 not the whole collection, and from Voodoo 5 only the 5500, not also the 5000 and the 6000...
3 having all the Voodoo cards from 1 to 5 with all series they have including V3 1000, 2000, 3000, 3500, V5 5000, 5500, 6000 and the rest of them, but not to necessary to have the really rare ones like Obsidian, Quantum cards or Specter....

So completed 3Dfx series can be with only Voodoo 1, Voodoo 2 (not needed SLI), Voodoo 3 3000, Voodoo 4 4500, Voodoo 5 5500, also Voodoo Rush, Voodoo Banshee and Voodoo Velocity, and that will be completed 3Dfx cards......

Mah systems retro, old, newer (Radical stuff)
W3680 4.5/ GA-x58 UD7/ R9 280x
K7 2.6/ NF7-S/ HD3850
IBM x2 P3 933/ GA-6VXD7/ Voodoo V 5.5K
Cmq P2 450/ GA-BX2000/ V2 SLI
IBM PC365
Cmq DeskPRO 486/33
IBM PS/2 Model 56
SPS IntelleXT 8088

Reply 50 of 183, by Radical Vision

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Will be not hard (at least in my case) as i will get like 1 or 2 cards just to have that brand, and nothing more. Or the other way to have just the biggest and interesting PowerVR cards, also no space to collect so much stuff, otherwise who will collect so much stuff his bed will be from PC hardware he will sleep on it, and when it wakes up he will eat on hardware table from motherboards and videocards...

Mah systems retro, old, newer (Radical stuff)
W3680 4.5/ GA-x58 UD7/ R9 280x
K7 2.6/ NF7-S/ HD3850
IBM x2 P3 933/ GA-6VXD7/ Voodoo V 5.5K
Cmq P2 450/ GA-BX2000/ V2 SLI
IBM PC365
Cmq DeskPRO 486/33
IBM PS/2 Model 56
SPS IntelleXT 8088

Reply 51 of 183, by vladstamate

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I wonder if PowerVR cards would be more collectible if the company would not exist today. Considering their special architecture, SGX API, Dreamcast link, the timing, the seemingly underdog perception, not being USA based, etc.

I know they are out of PC business and have been for a decade and a half. I was there the day we all got gathered (small company, under 100 people, all fit in a small cafeteria) and got told that mobile/SOC is the focus now. I left not long after 😀

I remember we had 50% employee discount for any Kyro/Kyro II cards. I only got one which I do not have anymore. Man, if I can only go back in time and grab a few more 😀

However they are still around and some of the basic TBDR algorithms in old Kyro cards still exist today in modern mobile phones.

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Reply 52 of 183, by blurks

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vladstamate wrote:

I wonder if PowerVR cards would be more collectible if the company would not exist today. Considering their special architecture, SGX API, Dreamcast link, the timing, the seemingly underdog perception, not being USA based, etc.

I find their stuff very collectable. Problem is, certain products featuring PowerVR technology in good condition and box have become more and more difficult to source. Why collecting, when building up a sizable collection is more difficult than having a 3dfx or [whatever] collection? 3dfx nerds can easily begin collecting with a boxed Diamond/Creative Voodoo2 as they are still affordable. Where to begin with boxed PowerVR stuff?

Radical Vision wrote:
Seems you did not, as your reaction... […]
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Seems you did not, as your reaction...

For example frog a collection can be completed in 3 damn different ways.

1 all ever created 3Dfx cards and chips that someone can get, they did have chips in some motherboards, in some other systems before even Voodoo 1 cards, specter card and such, total hard to get and Quantum/Obsidian..
2 having from one Voodoo gen for example of Voodoo 3 only 3000 or 2000 not the whole collection, and from Voodoo 5 only the 5500, not also the 5000 and the 6000...
3 having all the Voodoo cards from 1 to 5 with all series they have including V3 1000, 2000, 3000, 3500, V5 5000, 5500, 6000 and the rest of them, but not to necessary to have the really rare ones like Obsidian, Quantum cards or Specter....

So completed 3Dfx series can be with only Voodoo 1, Voodoo 2 (not needed SLI), Voodoo 3 3000, Voodoo 4 4500, Voodoo 5 5500, also Voodoo Rush, Voodoo Banshee and Voodoo Velocity, and that will be completed 3Dfx cards......

Nothing personal, but I think we ALL know what a 3dfx collection can consist of. You are just stating information that is considered to be common knowledge.

Reply 53 of 183, by Artex

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Radical Vision wrote:

A collection will be only complete of 3Dfx cards if the collector have V1, V2, V3, V4, V5 and Voodoo Rush, Voodoo Velocity, Voodoo Banshee. I don`t count Rampage and Specter as they did not even lived, when 3Dfx bankrupt the Specter card was even still on the test debugging bench and was not ready.... But Voodoo 5 5500 is not the easy one to find, not to mention Voodoo 4 and specially Voodoo 6000...........................
I also don`t count the Quantum and Obsidian 3Dfx cards, as they are even more hard to find then a Voodoo 6000.
So many 3Dfx collections will be uncompleted.

Well then mine is complete. 😉 I have to disagree though - the Quantum Obsidian (S-12, X24, etc) cards are much more attainable (mostly without the medusa cable) than a Voodoo5 6000. Collectors of the V5-6000, including myself, won't let go of the card.

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Reply 54 of 183, by leileilol

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blurks wrote:

Where to begin with boxed PowerVR stuff?

PCX-1/PCX-2 (Apocalypse 3D series, Matrox M3D, NEC PC3DEngine series), the sole Neon250s, and then the many Kyro cards.

for not-boxed stuff there's those older Compaq OEM Midas cards, and some unobtanium prototypes (ISA Midas, PowerVR SG, whatever between kyro and sgx, etc...) all of which makes 3dfx appear too common.

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Reply 55 of 183, by Warlord

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Just my opinion, for Retro gaming Voodoo 3 is just about the best card. Im sure others will disagree but a voodoo 3 will pretty much play almost everything. It had great 2d and DOS support, D3D up to version 6-7 is fine. OPENGL is great. Anything newer Nvidia cards are just better and 3dfx later offerings cannot compete with that. I think for retro gaming a Voodoo 3 and a Voodoo 2 in the same computer you have probably the max compatibility with playing games before 1999-2000. Otherwise if you want to play newer games like DX 8 and 9 just use a Nvidia card.

I think the same about windows versions btw, windows 98 is great for retro game compatibility and hardware compatibility. But if your game and hardware runs fine on XP, XP or even win2k is a better gaming platform for those games. Since those OSes do not share the same hardware and software limitations of 98.

In my opinion collecting is fun, but I think its a lot of posers that ruin the scene for legit collectors and video game enthusiasts that collect things they never use or even know how to use. Drive up prices and create scarcity in already obsolete and hard to find parts, that only end up in a box or shelve somewhere collecting dust doing nothing. It's only going to get worst. I think if you are the kind of person that doesn't have a retro PC now is the time to pull the trigger because it will get to the point because of these people that you wont be able to get anything good and have 100 people bidding on the same part that nobody cared about 10 years ago.

Reply 56 of 183, by Radical Vision

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Well the Obsidian cards are maybe not that rare, but the brick Quantum 3D Mercury with 4 cards, that will be really hard to find, specially in good condition and working one...

Well Voodoo 3 is great card it have 2D and 3D in the same card not on 2-3-4 chips, also they don`t need second card like the Voodoo 2 do. But on other hand Voodoo 2 is more interesting bcuz they are 2 cards connected with cable, also there can be better colors of them, while the Voodoo most of time will be only green...

Mah systems retro, old, newer (Radical stuff)
W3680 4.5/ GA-x58 UD7/ R9 280x
K7 2.6/ NF7-S/ HD3850
IBM x2 P3 933/ GA-6VXD7/ Voodoo V 5.5K
Cmq P2 450/ GA-BX2000/ V2 SLI
IBM PC365
Cmq DeskPRO 486/33
IBM PS/2 Model 56
SPS IntelleXT 8088

Reply 57 of 183, by blurks

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leileilol wrote:
blurks wrote:

Where to begin with boxed PowerVR stuff?

PCX-1/PCX-2 (Apocalypse 3D series, Matrox M3D, NEC PC3DEngine series), the sole Neon250s, and then the many Kyro cards.

Kyro cards are getting more and more difficult to find but they are out there. Agreed - but: finding some of Videologic's lineup complete in decent condition is extremely rare. PowerVR remains for total geeks and diehard enthusiasts. A collector every now and then wants a little success in form of expanding his/her collection. Collecting PowerVR is most likely a depressing thing and a form of self punishment these days. I don't see anybody in control of his/her mind start specifically collecting PowerVR. Probably as a "sidequest" whenever an opportunity arises but other than that...?

Reply 58 of 183, by Warlord

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Radical Vision wrote:

Back in the days of many GPU brands different then todays nvidia vs AMD, nothing was better then MatroX when it comes for 2D image quality, second was ATi...
And about NOvideo, well they did have even years after 3Dfx trash quality and colors compared to ATi cards, that did have superior image quality and better colors...
NOvideo GEforce cards was never meant to be more then gaming cards, and this is why the Radeon is much better in all other aspects, like way bigger resolutions, better colors, better image quality, also the All In Wonder series that did have many features...

Voodoo 3 cards have the same or very similar 2d clarity as matrox cards, they may not have very good support for 32bit color, but in older games that's not an issue. You can view windows desktop in 32bit color however and the quality is great on a voodoo 3. As a owner of a matrox g400 and a voodoo3 I have compared the VGAS output and 2d quality and can tell you they are both pretty much the same.

Reply 59 of 183, by amadeus777999

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The nice thing about the Voodoo3 is the company's status, crisp picture, a slight touch of Voodoo2SLI and that it's rather light on the cpu.
I'm not really interested in collecting these cards but their huge appeal is easy to grasp.

Last edited by amadeus777999 on 2018-02-15, 21:18. Edited 1 time in total.